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The Kingdom of Lorraine Wiki
The Kingdom of Lorraine and Arles Lorraine has a long and proud history. The Treaty of Verdun established three Carolingian Kingdoms: West Francia, Middle Francia and East Francia. West Francia would develop into France and East Francia would develop into the German Kingdom (later the Holy Roman Empire). Middle Francia, however, was an untenable Kingdom. It divided into the Kingdom of Lotharingia and the Kingdom of Italy. Lotharingia would later develop into the Duchy of Lorraine. Much of the territory of Lotharingia would turn into a duchy for much of the 10th century, until 959 when the duchy was divided into Upper and Lower Lorraine. After numerous short lived dynasties, Lower Lorraine was joined with Upper Lorraine, which was ruled by the powerful House of Ardenne. This unification created the Duchy of Lorraine. Over time, the dukes of the House of Ardenne consolidated their power in the region between the Kingdom of France and the Holy Roman Emperor, often switching alleigance between the two as suited them. The male line of the House of Ardenne held strong until 1431, when Duke Charles II died without a son. He was succeeded by his daughter, Isabelle, whose French husband René d'Anjou would rule alongside her. René would later become King of Naples (though he was later deposed), Duke of Anjou and Count of Provence. When Alfonso V of Aragon deposed René in Naples, he returned to Lorraine and, viewing his numerous titles and honours as sufficient, he created a kingship in Lorraine. Later, the marriage of Charles de Lorraine and Marie de Bourgogne granted Lorraine much of the low countries and the Duchy of Burgundy. King Nicolas I married Anne de France, daughter of King Louis XI of France. The two only had a daughter, Isabelle, who was later wed to the son of Charles and Marie de Bourgogne (who became Charles III) which united the territories of the Duchy of Burgundy to the Lorrainer crown. Over time, however, much of the territories of Burgundy save the Franche-Comté and the Low Countries were lost to the Kings of France. As the centuries progressed, the Kings of Lorraine continued to consolidate their power and position, becoming fabulously wealthy amongst European royalty. The House of Valois d'Anjou became the last legitimate line of the House of Valois upon the extinction of the French royal House of Valois d'Orléans d'Angoulême in 1589. Numerous treaties prevented the succession of the Anjou branch to the French throne, due to the fact that they had become foreign royalty in their own right, which led to the succession of another Capetian branch in France, the House of Bourbon. The Lorrainer Kings, by this time, had managed to cement their independent position enough that they were solidified as their own sovereign entity. As the eighteenth century progressed, the economic situation in Lorraine became worrying - a series of indulgent and expensive monarchs brought the realm to the brink of ruin. Lorraine remains in a tenuous state.Category:Browse